How far I'll Go
How far I'll Go "How Far I'll Go" is a song from Disney's 2016 animated feature film Moana. It was written and produced by Lin-Manuel Miranda.1 The song was performed in the film by American actress and singer Auli'i Cravalho in her role as Moana. Canadian singer Alessia Cara also recorded the song for the Moana soundtrack. The song was nominated for Best Original Song at the 89th Academy Awards and Best Original Song at the 74th Golden Globe Awards. Composition "How Far I'll Go" was composed as Moana's "I Want" song, following in the long tradition of "I Want" songs in Disney animated musicals going back to the Disney Renaissance era.23 It replaced an earlier attempt called "More", for which the demo version recorded by Marcy Harriell was released as an outtake on the deluxe version of the soundtrack album. Although Miranda has stressed that he is still "very proud of" the song as a first draft, "More" was not good enough in retrospect because it merely expressed Moana's vague desire to see more since she had already figured out everything about the island.23 In contrast, "How Far I'll Go" expresses a deeper, richer message: Moana's struggle with the irresistible impulse to explore beyond the reef notwithstanding her genuine love for her island, her family, and her people.23 As Miranda explained to People: "To me that's much more complicated than, 'I hate it here and I want to get out,' ... To say, ‘I love it here, I love my parents, but why can't I stop walking to the ocean and fantasizing about getting out of here?' And questioning that instinct? It's even more confusing. And that's a valid story too."3 To make himself write a song more compelling than "More", Miranda "went method".2 According to Miranda, he locked himself in his childhood bedroom at his parents' residence for an entire weekend in order to force his mind back to age 16 (i.e., the same age as Moana in the film), a time when he was facing what seemed like an "impossible distance" between the reality of his pleasant middle-class childhood which had no connection to show business whatsoever, and his dreams of a career in show business.2 He was well aware that he was composing the next Disney "I Want" song after "Let It Go" and that whatever he wrote had to be different from "Let It Go".2 Auli'i Cravalho version American actress and singer Auli'i Cravalho, the voice of Moana, recorded "How Far I'll Go" for Moana and the Moana soundtrack. It was released along with the album on November 18, 2016.A music video for the song was released on December 12, 2016. 4When the movie had its first theater release worldwide, the song numbered 44 versions, including a special Tahitian-language adaptation created specifically for the movie.5 For promotional purposes, South African singer Lira6 and Filipino singer Janella Salvador7 recorded their own English-language versions of the song in order to play them over the end credits on the South African and Filipino release of the film, while Indonesian singer Maudy Ayunda and Malaysian singer Ayda Jebat recorded their own versions of the song respectively in Indonesian8 and Malaysian9 language. On December 15, a 5-languages mash-up was released online, featuring singers from Southeast Asian countries: Janella Salvador from the Philippines, Maudy Ayunda from Indonesia, Myra Molloy from Thailand, Ayda Jebat from Malaysia and Trần Minh Như from Vietnam.10 Shortly thereafter, a 24-languages video was released on Disney's Vevo channel.11 Lyrics I've been staring at the edge of the water 'Long as I can remember, never really knowing why I wish I could be the perfect daughter But I come back to the water, no matter how hard I try Every turn I take, every trail I track Every path I make, every road leads back To the place I know, where I can not go, where I long to be See the line where the sky meets the sea? It calls me And no one knows, how far it goes If the wind in my sail on the sea stays behind me One day I'll know, if I go there's just no telling how far I'll go I know everybody on this island, seems so happy on this island Everything is by design I know everybody on this island has a role on this island So maybe I can roll with mine I can lead with pride, I can make us strong I'll be satisfied if I play along But the voice inside sings a different song What is wrong with me? See the light as it shines on the sea? It's blinding But no one knows, how deep it goes And it seems like it's calling out to me, so come find me And let me know, what's beyond that line, will I cross that line? The line where the sky meets the sea? It calls me And no one knows, how far it goes If the wind in my sail on the sea stays behind me One day I'll know, how far I'll go! Alessia Cara Lyrics I've been standing at the edge of the water 'Long as I can remember, never really knowing why I wish I could be the perfect daughter But I come back to the water, no matter how hard I try Every turn I take, every trail I track Every path I make, every road leads back To the place I know, where I can not go Though I long to be See the line where the sky meets the sea it calls me And no one knows, how far it goes If the wind in my sail on the sea stays behind me One day I'll know, if I go there's just no telling how far I'll go Oh oh oh, oh, oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh I know, everybody on this island seems so happy on this island Everything is by design I know, everybody on this island has a role on this island So maybe I can roll with mine I can lead with pride, I can make us strong I'll be satisfied if I play along But the voice inside sings a different song What is wrong with me? See the light as it shines on the sea it's blinding But no one knows, how deep it goes And it seems like it's calling out to me, so come find me And let me know, what's beyond that line, will I cross that line? See the line where the sky meets the sea it calls me And no one knows, how far it goes If the wind in my sail on the sea stays behind me One day I'll know, how far I'll go!